At the end of the ceremony, Paris and Théo performed a galliard—a dance from the Renaissance era—as their recessional. “We are both terrible dancers, this felt like a more attainable version of the classic first dance couples usually perform. Théo found a medieval dance instructor, and over the weeks leading up to the ceremony, we collaborated on our version of the dance,” she says.
Afterward, Paris snuck out to check out the plating on her tablescape. After her final approval, the couple opened the curtains that divided the ceremony from dinner—and revealed her modern Renaissance feast for all to see.
There were separate tables for pies, vegetables, and meats (including a tomahawk rib roast and a roasted leg of lamb, executed by the local Barb’s Butchery). Meanwhile, Nora Allen, the James Beard–nominated baker of Mel the Bakery, stenciled flour swans onto their bread loaves, which were placed within reach of every guest. “We loved having so many options for guests to choose from, and somehow, the food was almost perfectly portioned: Only a bit of fruit and cheese was leftover by the end of dinner service,” Paris says.
A particular culinary coup? Their cake. “One painting in particular stayed with me weeks after that visit to the Prado: The Sense of Taste by Peter Paul Rubens and Jan Brueghel the Elder. It features ornate pheasant and swan pies, something I had never seen before, and was enchanted by,” Paris explains. While making a swan pie was out of the question, she decided instead to make life-size confections as an ode to the dish of yore. “It was no small task. I worked with my father on constructing the underlying base, and made two cakes. One was chocolate with a chocolate cookie crust, a vanilla French meringue buttercream, and filled with chocolate crémeux. The other was a banana cake with a Biscoff cookie crust, vanilla French meringue buttercream, and filled with a banana caramel cream,” Paris explains, adding that she spent a whole day constructing the swan wings and head, then, with the help of her aunt, decorated them with dried rose petals.
All that food gave them plenty of fuel to party. DJ Bea Hardy spun from a scissor lift as guests ran to the dance floor. The bride changed into a Loretta Caponi nightgown and a Tudor-inspired corset that she sewed herself. “I had my father paint the corset to give it some additional structure, inspired by my favorite painted Margiela jeans,” Paris says. The couple only took a break to have a hot dog from The Meat Hook.
A month later, Paris can pinpoint her personal pinnacle of the wedding. “Right before we had to wrap up, it was just Théo and me, our friends, my parents, and the chefs on the dance floor,” she says. “We had a blast together, dancing freely amongst the artwork. It was such an overwhelmingly meaningful moment to share with our closest loved ones and the people I had worked so closely with to make the whole affair happen. I’ve never been so overwhelmed with gratitude.”
